1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to computer systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to microprocessors and diagnostics.
2. Description of the Background Art
One conventional solution for providing fault tolerance in digital processing by central processing units (CPUs) involves a computer system with multiple CPUs. For example, the multiple CPUs may be operated in full lock-step to achieve a level of fault-tolerance in their computations. Such a solution is expensive in that it disadvantageously requires additional system hardware and support infrastructure.
Another conventional solution for providing fault tolerance in digital processing by CPUs involves the use of software verification. The software verification may be performed either by executing the program multiple times on the same computer or on different computers. However, this solution is expensive in that it disadvantageously requires a longer run-time or requires multiple computers.
The above-discussed conventional solutions are expensive in terms of cost and/or system performance. Hence, improvements in systems and methods for providing fault tolerant digital processing by CPUs are highly desirable.